Cross-era · careers 24 years apart

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs Damian Lillard

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1969-1988 · Center Damian Lillard 2012-2025 · Guard · active

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-1988) and Damian Lillard (2012-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 24 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Damian Lillard was the higher-volume scorer (25.1 points per game to 24.6); adjusted for era they scored at 2.34× and 2.48× their league average respectively; Damian Lillard created more for others (6.8 assists per game to 3.6). Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the edge on accolades — 6 MVPs, 6 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #2 all-time ranking to Damian Lillard's #69.

Career averages

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatDamian Lillard
24.6 Points / game 25.1
11.2 Rebounds / game 4.3
3.6 Assists / game 6.8
0.7 Steals / game 1.0
2.0 Blocks / game 0.3
55.9% Field goal % 43.8%
1.7% 3-point % 37.1%
72.7% Free throw % 89.5%
59.2% True shooting % 59.0%
1,560 Games played 900

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatDamian Lillard
2.34× Points vs era avg 2.48×
2.40× Rebounds vs era avg 1.03×
1.51× Assists vs era avg 2.99×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's era.

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatDamian Lillard
— Offensive rating 114.2
— Defensive rating 110.3
— Net rating 4.0
— Usage % 0.3%
— Assist % 0.3%
— Rebound % 0.1%

Playoff averages

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatDamian Lillard
24.3 Points / game 25.2
10.5 Rebounds / game 4.4
3.2 Assists / game 6.1
0.8 Steals / game 1.2
2.0 Blocks / game 0.3
53.0% Field goal % 40.5%
0.0% 3-point % 35.5%
74.2% Free throw % 88.9%
237 Playoff games 68

Accolades

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatDamian Lillard
6 MVP awards 0
2 Finals MVP 0
6 Championships 0
18 All-Star selections 8
10 All-NBA 1st Team 1
#2 All-time GOAT rank #69

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